


Things We Don't Talk About

by wickedwitchcraft



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Near Death, Other, Overdose, Talk of Suicide, alllllll the hurt/comfort basically, i just love these two so much and want them to have support, if i have to fill their lives with support for each other by myself i will, siblings loving and supporting siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-14 02:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18043424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedwitchcraft/pseuds/wickedwitchcraft
Summary: Vanya gets a call at 3am. She's confused and worried but she shows up. She always shows up.





	Things We Don't Talk About

Her phone wakes up her. She looks at the clock. It’s 3am. She answers the phone, listens to the women on the other end, nods, realizes the women can’t see her nodding, she says “Yes. Okay. I understand. I’ll be there.” And then she gets out of bed. She gets dressed. And she gets a cab to the hospital.

It’s cold. The hospital. It’s actually not bad outside, summer’s coming, she can feel it in the way the air feels on her skin. The lights are bright. She’s squinting until she hears who she’s looking for. She turns the corner and sees him. He’s attempting to climb out of the wheelchair they’ve put him in. And while he’s being astoundingly polite, the man in the blue scrubs keeps shoving him back down harshly.

“Okay that actually hurts ya know?” The whine in his voice, still so familiar after so long feeling like a slap in the face. A woman in scrubs walks up to the tall man.

“Get your hands off him Scott. Go downstairs and clean a bedpan or something.” Her tone and face are harsh while she looks at the man, Scott, but they soften as soon as he’s gone and she’s alone with Klaus.

“Thanks Darla, you’re a gem.” He smiles brightly but even from down the hall Vanya can hear how tired he is. She swallows hard. Pushing her awkward feelings down, it’s been so long, and walks toward him.

“I think your ride’s here sweetheart.” Darla says, her hand gently touching Klaus’ shoulder bringing him back from where he’d been nodding off.

“Hmm?” he looks up, confusion clear on his face until he shakes it off.

“Vanya! My favorite violin playing sister!” he smiles brightly again, looking exhausted.

“I’m your only violin playing sister.” The mumble barely makes it out of her. She’s still not sure why she’s been called here.

“Exactly.” It’s a sigh more than it is a word. Klaus is nodding off in the chair again. Darla smiles softly down at him and then turns toward Vanya.

“Your number was listed as his emergency contact. If you’d rather we keep him here we can. It’s no trouble.” She was kind. And not just the fake kindness that doctors and nurses sometimes have. She was genuinely kind. Vanya could tell that she actually cared about her brother. But she didn’t want to leave him here. She knew he hated hospitals.

“It’s okay. I’ll take him. Thanks.” She shook Darla’s hand and helped Klaus out the door. She hadn’t left the cab waiting, didn’t know how long it would be inside. Another pulled up soon enough. She helped Klaus into the car, buckled him in, and let him fall asleep on her shoulder on the way home. She thought about dropping him off with Pogo and mom, but he whined in his sleep, his face contorting in pain, and she changed her mind. She didn’t want him waking up there alone.

He was half asleep but somehow managed to walk up the stairs to Vanya’s apartment unassisted. They made it inside, she guided him to the couch and watched as he somehow took off his coat, his shirt, and his pants while he was laying down. She waited for him to stop wiggling and threw a blanket over him. She wasn’t sure if he would be there in the morning, but at least she knew he was safe for now. She watched him sleep for a moment and then went back to bed herself.

She woke to the smell of bacon. She didn’t remember buying bacon. The hazy memories of the night before washed over her and she climbed out of bed. A little weary of what her kitchen might look like after a morning of Klaus cooking in it.

She walked into the kitchen and smiled despite herself. Klaus was dancing in front of the stove, fully clothed again, Vanya was happy to see. His hips swaying, he whistled loudly as he flipped whatever was in the pan he was holding and set it back down. The counter was a little messy but not nearly as bad as she was expecting.

“I didn’t know I had bacon.” Vanya bit her lip to stop from laughing as he flailed and spun around.

“Christ! Don’t you know it’s rude to sneak up on someone when they’re holding hot things!” He held his hand against his chest, his eyes wide.

“Are you- are you smiling?” he asked, a smile curling across his lips as Vanya’s own got a teeny bit wider.

“Maybe.” She walked to the stove to look at what he was cooking. Klaus watched her, his eyes glued to her like he was afraid she was going to yell at him maybe, or like he was worried he’d done something wrong. Vanya had grown up seeing that look. She still hated it.

“Where did you learn to make an omelet that looks this good?” she looked at him. The scared look in his eyes vanished and he was beaming in seconds.

“I lived with a chef for a while. He was nice. Taught me how to cook. Or at least he tried too. The only thing that stuck was the breakfast foods. Which was fine with me really, I’ve always loved breakfast food.” He had grabbed the pan and flipped the omelet again before sliding it onto a plate.

“I can make pretty great waffles too but I didn’t want to completely destroy your kitchen.” He grabbed the two plates he’d made from the counter and walked Vanya to the table. Throwing himself down into his chair as Vanya sat down gently in hers. He pulled one leg up into the chair with him and started eating. He’d never been able to sit like a normal person. He reminded Vanya of a cat, always either spread out or curled up as tight as possible.

They ate in silence for a while. The omelet was probably the best food she’d had in ages.

“Are we gonna talk about it?” She wasn’t going to bring it up. But she had to. She needed to know that he was at least okay.

“Talk about what?” He looked innocent. She always wished she could do that. He’d always been able to look innocent. Even when things were on fire.

“You almost died last night.” She turned her fork slowly between her fingers.

“Not the first time.” There was an odd cynical tone to his voice.

“Won’t be the last I’m sure.” It was barely a mumble. Vanya was going to argue. But she knew he was right. She didn’t like it. But her not liking it wasn’t going to change it. Wasn’t going to change him. She sighed, feeling heavy.

“Are you okay?” it was the only thing she could think of to say. It wasn’t good enough. He looked up from his plate and stared at her. For a long time. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t eat. He just stared.

“Klaus?”

He shook his head and smiled.

“Yeah! Yeah. I’m good. I’m okay.” He shoveled a forkful of food into his mouth, clearly not wanting to say anything else.  Vanya didn’t want to pry, but he was her brother, and his exhausted voice from last night was bouncing around in her head like it was the only sound she could hear.

“Did something happen?” He sighed and looked at her.

“What do you mean?” he looked annoyed, she knew he would be. She didn’t care.

“I mean did something happen.”

“Oh! You mean was it an accident?” he was still looking at her, those intense eyes of his more intense than usual without the haze of drugs.

“Yeah.” She didn’t know how to ask that. How to ask if he’d been trying to end his life. But Klaus was never one to dance around words.

“Was it?”

Klaus set his fork down on the table gently. He reached across the table and took Vanya’s hand in his, his thumb moving slowly across her knuckles.

“Vanya.” He said her name with so much meaning she felt her throat tightening, “it was an accident. I wasn’t trying to kill myself. I promise.”

He squeezed her hand, it felt like another promise. He moved his hand back across the table and picked his fork back up.

“I’m sorry.” He said it to the plate.

“Fo- for what?” Vanya cleared her throat, her voice strained with emotion.

“For waking you up at three in the morning. For freaking you out probably. I forgot I put you down as my emergency contact. I’ll take you off. It won’t happen again.” He was taking small bites. The end of his fork barely covered. Vanya took a deep breath. She got up, walked to the cabinet, got her meds and a glass of water. She breathed deeply for a few moments. Watching Klaus eat.

He was hunched over his plate, his knee hugged to his chest. The light from the window was shining on him, illuminating his hair, the curls that Vanya knew were there, were starting to show. He was breathing calmly, his back rising and falling with each breath. She didn’t want him to think she was mad at him for last night. Because she wasn’t. At all. She just wanted him to be safe. She took another breath and walked back to the table.

“Don’t take me off.”

She might have slapped him he moved his head so fast.

“What?”

“Don’t take me off your emergency contact.”

“I don’t want to be an inconvenience when it happens again Van.”

It was her turn to stare at him. That’s what he thought. That’s what years of their childhood had trained him to think. And to feel. She bit her tongue, reached across the table and grabbed his hand like he’d grabbed hers.

“Klaus.” She couldn’t help but mimic how he’d talked to her, “You… you are _not_ , an inconvenience. I’m here if you need me. I always will be.”

Klaus looked at her, his eyes shining with tears, hers were doing the same.

“Okay?” she needed him to hear her. To know that she meant it.

He kept staring, a tear falling down his cheek as he nodded at her. He swallowed hard and licked his lips. She gave his hand a squeeze and then pulled it back and rested her hand in her lap.

They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. The sun shining through the window bathing them in warmth. Vanya watched the sun glinting through her bothers hidden curls and knew that this would be just another thing, on a long list of things, that they would never talk about. But as she watched Klaus eat, looking peaceful, and sober, and safe. She thought she’d be okay with not talking about it as long as she could remember that they’d been like this, safe, and warm, and bathed in sunlight, even for just a moment.

**Author's Note:**

> can't stop won't stop. i shouldnt say that cuz i have a bad tendency to just lose motivation for writing but like....if i have ideas i'll write 'em. cuz i love these two and want them to be happy damn it!!! i hope you guys like!!!! enjoy lovelies!!! <3


End file.
